Skin protection from hot equipment

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for a hand-held heated instrument such as a curling iron or wand comprises a thin elastomeric sleeve of high-temperature polymer, for example silicon rubber. The sleeve may include features such as ridges, bumps, or through holes, and may be sized to fit snugly over the barrel of the heated instrument. The sleeve reduces heat conduction from hot surfaces of the instrument enough to prevent or reduce burns from momentary contact with bare skin, without noticeably altering the characteristics of the instrument for its intended purpose, such as curling or shaping hair.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application is a continuation of International (PCT)Application No. PCT/US2018/041337 filed Jul. 9, 2018, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/530,239filed Jul. 9, 2017, the disclosures of both of which are incorporatedherein in their entireties by reference.

FIELD

The present application relates to protecting skin from hot equipment,and more particularly from burns from personal care equipment such ascurling irons.

BACKGROUND

Various types of equipment operate using surfaces hot enough to burnhuman skin, causing pain, disfigurement, risk of infection and other illeffects. Some such equipment must be operated close to human skin toaccomplish its purpose. For example, equipment for curling hair usingapplication of heat, known as curling irons or curling wands, must behot and must be used near the face and hands when curling hair. Curlingirons and wands typically have a form factor that includes a thermallyconductive, electrically heated curling rod (the “barrel”) attached to athermally insulated handle. The barrels are often made of metal orceramic material and come in various form factors and sizes. To workproperly for curling hair, the barrel must be heated to a temperature ina range of about 250° F. to 450° F., which includes temperatures hotenough to burn sensitive skin from momentary contact. People usingcurling irons are therefore prone to unintentionally burning themselvesfrom momentary contact of their skin with hot surfaces of curling iron,wands, and similarly handheld hot equipment.

It would be desirable, therefore, to develop new apparatus and methodsfor skin protection from hot equipment, that overcomes these and otherlimitations of the prior art.

SUMMARY

This summary and the following detailed description should beinterpreted as complementary parts of an integrated disclosure, whichparts may include redundant subject matter and/or supplemental subjectmatter. An omission in either section does not indicate priority orrelative importance of any element described in the integratedapplication. Differences between the sections may include supplementaldisclosures of alternative embodiments, additional details, oralternative descriptions of identical embodiments using differentterminology, as should be apparent from the respective disclosures.

In an aspect of the disclosure, a handheld electrically heatedinstrument that includes a thermally conductive exterior surface heatedwithin a range of about 250° F. to about 450° F., is provided with athin, thermally insulating protective cover. The cover may include anelastomeric sleeve sized to cover and conform to the thermallyconductive exterior surface of the handheld heated instrument. Thesleeve may have a base uniform thickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mmexclusive of holes or surface features. It may be made of ahigh-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450° F. and athermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K. An assembly may includethe protective cover installed on the barrel of a curling iron, curlingwand, or similar equipment.

In an aspect, the high-temperature polymer may be made of a siliconerubber material, in part or in whole. In another aspect, the elastomericsleeve may be generally cylindrical and sized to cover and conform to abarrel of a curling iron or curling wand. In some embodiments, theelastomeric sleeve may be smooth and include no surface features. Inother embodiments, the sleeve may include various surface features, forexample through holes, divots, continuous ridges or discontinuous ridges(bumps). In addition, or in an alternative, the elastomeric sleeve mayinclude a plurality of uniformly spaced ridges around a circumference ofthe sleeve.

A method of using the protective cover may include installing theprotective cover on the barrel of a subject curling iron, curling wand,or similar equipment; activating the subject equipment until the barrelis heated to a desired operating temperature, and using the subjectequipment to style hair. The protective cover reduces chance of burnsfrom momentary contact. Due to the materials and geometry of theprotective cover, sufficient heat flows during normal exposure to thehair under treatment to achieve the same styling effect as anunprotected iron without appreciably increasing the time required.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, one or moreexamples comprise the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspectsand are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of the examples may be employed. Other advantages and novelfeatures will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionwhen considered in conjunction with the drawings and the disclosedexamples, which encompass all such aspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, nature, and advantages of the present disclosure willbecome more apparent from the detailed description set forth below whentaken in conjunction with the drawings in which like referencecharacters identify like elements correspondingly throughout thespecification and drawings.

FIG. 1 is an isometric drawing illustrating a prior art curling iron.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a protective cover configuredwith a ridge-free zone for use with a curling iron.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating details of aprotective cover.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a protective cover with ridges andslotted through-holes.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a protective cover with ridges andwithout through holes.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a smooth protective cover withoutsurface features.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for using a protectivecover in styling hair with a hot curling iron or the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings. In thefollowing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofone or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that the variousaspects may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to facilitate describing these aspects.

Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art curling iron 100 typically includes aheated conductive barrel 102 of metallic or ceramic material, atransition section 106 attaching the barrel 102 to a thermally insulatedhandle 108, and a spring-loaded pivoting tong 104 for holding hair closeto the barrel during styling. Electrical components (not shown) in aninterior of the curling iron 100 heat the curling iron with powersupplied by an electrical cord 110. Curling wands are similar to thecurling iron 100 but lack a tong or equivalent feature. Instead, theuser wraps hair around the barrel of the hand while keeping the strandsof hair under tension. Whether using a curling iron or wand, the usermust work with the iron close to her head and hands. Thus, many usersexperience painful and disfiguring burns on their hands, scalps, ears,and face. The present protective cover can be used to reduce oreliminate these burns, by placing the cover over the barrel of a curlingiron or wand during use.

A protective cover may be configured to fit under a tong of a curlingiron. FIG. 2 shows a protective cover 200 includes an elastomeric sleeve208 configured with a ridge-free zone 202 for use with a curling iron.Circumferential ridges are provided in the ridged zone 204 to increasethermal insulation for contact with skin. The ridges create a longerthermal path and air gap when touching skin, decreasing heat transferand increasing the amount of time the user has to react to the heatbefore being burned. Strands of hair can easily fit between the ridgesfor exposure to a higher heat flux. Discontinuous ridges (i.e.,elongated or non-elongated bumps) may provide a similar effect. Inaddition, the ridge-free zone 202 may be thinner than the ridged zone204 to allow the tong to lie flat when closed and for better heattransfer under the tong, where incidental skin contact is less likely.For example, the ridge free zone may have a thickness that is 50% orless that of the ridged zone including height of the ridges. Slottedthrough-holes 206 may increase heat transfer from the barrel to hairwithout increasing the risk of burns, because the slots are too narrowto admit skin. FIG. 3 shows details of the protective cover 200,including slotted through-holes 206, the wall of the elastomeric sleeve210 and ridges of the ridged zone 208.

The elastomeric sleeve 210 may be sized to cover and conform to thethermally conductive exterior surface of the handheld heated instrument(e.g., curling iron or wand), wherein the sleeve has a base uniformthickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mm exclusive of holes or surfacefeatures. The base thickness is shown enlarged at the top and bottom ofFIG. 3. The elastomeric sleeve may be made of, or may include, ahigh-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450° F. and athermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K. For example, thehigh-temperature polymer may be made of a silicone rubber material, inpart or in whole. The silicone rubber may be a polysiloxane material,and may have a hardness in a range of about 10 to 90 Shore A.

The elastomeric sleeve 210 may be generally cylindrical and sized tocover and conform to a barrel of a curling iron or curling wand. Forexample, the elastomeric sleeve 210 may have an inner diameter that isslightly smaller than an outer diameter of the barrel, for example, lessthan the outer diameter of the barrel by an amount in a range of about0.01 mm to 1 mm. For non-circular barrels, the inner perimeter of theelastomeric sleeve may similarly be slightly less than the outerperimeter of the barrel. The elastomeric sleeve may be closed on one endto cover the tip of the barrel, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4-6. In analternative, the sleeve may be open on both ends.

In some embodiments, the elastomeric sleeve 210 may be smooth andinclude no surface features. In other embodiments, the sleeve mayinclude various surface features, for example through holes, divots,continuous ridges or discontinuous ridges for example bumps. In anaspect, the elastomeric sleeve includes a plurality of uniformly spacedthrough holes. Each of the through holes may have a perimeter shapeselected from circular, slotted or polygonal, and each may be sized toexpose an area not greater than about 0.5 cm² of any underlying hotbarrel, in a shape that does not admit skin into contact with the hotbarrel.

In addition, or in an alternative, the elastomeric sleeve may include aplurality of uniformly spaced ridges around a circumference of thesleeve. Each of the uniformly spaced ridges may have a uniform height ina range of 1 to 4 mm, and a uniform width in a range of 1 to 4 mm. Eachof the uniformly spaced ridges may have a cross-section selected fromsemi-circular, rectangular or triangular. In a variation of a ridgeddesign, a portion of the elastomeric sleeve may be left free of ridgesin an area corresponding to a tong of a curling iron. In an aspect, theridges may be non-continuous around the circumference of the elastomericsleeve, forming elongated or non-elongated bumps. The ridged zone 204may be limited to a portion of the cover 200 or may cover its entirety.

In an aspect, the elastomeric sleeve 210 has a uniform internal diameterin a range of 2 to 10 cm, for example, a uniform internal diameter in arange of 3.5 to 6 cm. The elastomeric sleeve 210 may be sized in lengthand internal diameter to fit a specific size or model of curling iron orcurling wand. In an aspect, the high-temperature polymer has a thermalconductivity less than about 1 W/m K, or a thermal conductivity lessthan about 0.5 W/m K. Both values can be achieved using a grade ofsilicone rubber.

FIG. 4 shows a protective cover 300 including an elastomeric sleeve 304as already described, including ridges 308 and slotted through-holes306. The cover 300 may be useful for curling wands with equal potentialfor skin contact in all directions. In addition, the cover 300 may beplaced over the tong and barrel components of a curling iron, convertingit into a curling wand of a sort.

Protective covers may lack some or all of the described surfacefeatures. For example, FIG. 5 shows a protective cover 400 with ridges408 and without through holes in the elastomeric sleeve 404. For furtherexample, FIG. 6 shows a smooth protective cover 500 without surfacefeatures in the elastomeric sleeve 504. Users may prefer differentconfigurations based on personal preferences, heat transfercharacteristics, and qualities of the hair under treatment.

FIG. 7 shows a method 600 of using the protective cover to style hairusing a curling iron, wand, or similar equipment. At 610, the method mayinclude installing a protective cover on the barrel of a subject curlingiron, curling wand, or similar equipment. To achieve a snug fit, theelastomeric cover may be inverted and then rolled onto the barrel fromthe tip backwards, in a manner similar to a sock or condom. The rollingaction stretches the elastomeric material of the sleeve and ensures asnug fit for barrels of varying diameter or cross-sectional shape. At620, the method 600 may include activating the subject equipment untilthe barrel is heated to a desired operating temperature. At 630, themethod may include using the subject equipment to style hair in aconventional manner. The protective cover reduces chance of burns frommomentary contact without special training, once installed. Due to thematerials and geometry of the protective cover, sufficient heat flowsduring normal exposure to the hair under treatment to achieve the samestyling effect as an unprotected iron without appreciably increasing thetime required.

Thus, the protective cover may prevent millions of minor burns, and tensof thousands of major burns due to the use of curling irons. Theprotective cover may be made as a one size fits all or made to fitdifferent sizes and any shape whatsoever, like cylinder, oval, cone,rectangle (prism), cube, sphere, and more.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure.Various modifications to these aspects will be clear to those skilled inthe art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of thedisclosure. For example, although a silicone rubber material isdescribed, other high temperature elastomers may also be suitable.Likewise, although ridges and slotted through-holes are illustrated,other surface features such as circular holes or bumps may also beuseful. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

1. A protective cover for a handheld electrically heated instrument thatincludes a thermally conductive exterior surface heated within a rangeof about 250° F. to about 450° F., the cover comprising: an elastomericsleeve sized to cover and conform to the thermally conductive exteriorsurface of the handheld heated instrument, wherein the sleeve has a baseuniform thickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mm exclusive of holes orsurface features, wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises ahigh-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450° F. and athermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K.
 2. The protective cover ofclaim 1, wherein the high-temperature polymer comprises a siliconerubber.
 3. The protective cover of claim 2, wherein the silicone rubberis a polysiloxane material.
 4. The protective cover of claim 3, whereinthe polysiloxane has a hardness in a range of 10 to 90 Shore A.
 5. Theprotective cover of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric sleeve is generallycylindrical and sized to cover and conform to a barrel of a curling ironor curling wand.
 6. The protective cover of claim 5, wherein theelastomeric sleeve is closed on one end.
 7. The protective cover ofclaim 5, wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises a plurality ofuniformly spaced through holes.
 8. The protective cover of claim 7,wherein each of the through holes is selected from circular orpolygonal, and each exposes an area of the barrel not greater than 0.5cm².
 9. The protective cover of claim 5, wherein the elastomeric sleevecomprises a plurality of uniformly spaced ridges around a circumferenceof the sleeve.
 10. The protective cover of claim 9, wherein each of theuniformly spaced ridges has a uniform height in a range of 1 to 4 mm,and a uniform width in a range of 1 to 4 mm.
 11. The protective cover ofclaim 9, wherein each of the uniformly spaced ridges has a cross-sectionselected from semi-circular, rectangular or triangular.
 12. Theprotective cover of claim 9, wherein a portion of the elastomeric sleeveis free of ridges in an area corresponding to a tong of a curling iron.13. The protective cover of claim 9, wherein the ridges arenon-continuous around the circumference of the elastomeric sleeve. 14.The protective cover of claim 5, wherein the elastomeric sleeve has auniform internal diameter in a range of 2 to 10 cm.
 15. The protectivecover of claim 5, wherein the elastomeric sleeve has a uniform internaldiameter in a range of 3.5 to 6 cm.
 16. The protective cover of claim 1,wherein the high-temperature polymer has a thermal conductivity lessthan about 1 W/m K.
 17. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein thehigh-temperature polymer has a thermal conductivity less than about 0.5W/m K.
 18. A method of using a protective cover to prevent burns fromheated subject equipment, the method comprising: installing a protectivecover on the barrel of a subject curling iron, curling wand, or similarequipment, wherein the protective cover comprises an elastomeric sleevesized to cover and conform to the thermally conductive exterior surfaceof the subject equipment, wherein the sleeve has a base uniformthickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mm exclusive of holes or surfacefeatures, and wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises ahigh-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450° F. and athermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K; activating the subjectequipment until the barrel is heated to a desired operating temperature;and using the subject equipment to style hair.
 19. A handheldelectrically heated instrument for curling hair, comprising: a thermallyconductive exterior surface configured for electrical heating to atemperature within a range of about 250° F. to about 450° F.; and anelastomeric sleeve sized to cover and conform to the thermallyconductive exterior surface of the handheld heated instrument, whereinthe sleeve has a base uniform thickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mmexclusive of holes or surface features, wherein the elastomeric sleevecomprises a high-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450°F. and a thermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K.
 20. Theinstrument of claim 19, wherein the high-temperature polymer comprises asilicone rubber.